NFL roundup

CaptionChristian Michael

Elsa / Getty Images

Running back Christine Michael of the Seattle Seahawks interacts with fans during Super Bowl XLVIII Media Day at the Prudential Center on Jan. 28 in Newark, New Jersey. Super Bowl XLVIII will be played between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2.

Running back Christine Michael of the Seattle Seahawks interacts with fans during Super Bowl XLVIII Media Day at the Prudential Center on Jan. 28 in Newark, New Jersey. Super Bowl XLVIII will be played between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2. (Elsa / Getty Images)

Rookie Alfred Morris ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns as host Washington clinched the NFC East title with its seventh consecutive victory.

Robert Griffin III was 9-of-18 for 100 yards but rushed six times for 63 yards and a score for the Redskins (10-6), who captured their first division crown since 1999. Washington will host Seattle in a first-round playoff matchup next Sunday.

Tony Romo completed 20 of 37 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns but threw three interceptions for Dallas (8-8), which has lost the regular-season finale with the division title on the line each of the last two seasons.

The game was scoreless after one quarter as Redskins kicker Kai Forbath's 37-yard field-goal attempt with 6:59 remaining hit the right upright. Dallas fared no better in the period as Romo was intercepted on each of the Cowboys' first two possessions, with both picks occurring in Washington territory.

Dallas took the lead with 7:59 left in the second, when Romo connected with Jason Witten for a 9-yard touchdown on third-and-goal despite the fact the play clock appeared to expire before the ball was snapped. The Redskins answered on their next possession as Morris scored on a 17-yard run and took a 14-7 lead when Griffin found the end zone from 10 yards out with 3:10 to play in the third.

Following a 48-yard field goal by Dallas' Dan Bailey in the first minute of the fourth, Morris ran for a 32-yard touchdown to make it 21-10. The Cowboys cut the deficit to three as Romo threw a 10-yard TD pass to Kevin Ogletree and hit Dwayne Harris for the two-point conversion with 5:50 on the clock.

But Romo was intercepted a third time by Rob Jackson with three minutes remaining, and Morris sealed the win with a 1-yard TD run with 1:09 to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dallas WR Miles Austin suffered a left ankle injury in the first half but returned after halftime. Fellow WR Dez Bryant exited in the fourth quarter with an apparent back injury. ... The game was penalty-free until the Cowboys were called for holding with 8:59 remaining in the fourth quarter. The penalty was declined by Washington as LB London Fletcher sacked Tony Romo for an 18-yard loss on the play. ... Morris finished the season with 1,612 yards, breaking the franchise record previously held by Clinton Portis, who was in attendance.

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Seahawks 20, Rams 13

Russell Wilson passed for 250 yards and a touchdown and scored the winning touchdown with a 1-yard run as Seattle finished undefeated at home and ended the regular season on a five-game win streak.

Wilson tied Peyton Manning for the rookie record with his 26th touchdown pass, a 10-yard toss to Michael Robinson that gave Seattle (11-5) a 13-10 lead with 2:16 left in the third quarter, and he drove the Seahawks 90 yards in 10 plays and scrambled for the go-ahead score with 1:45 left.

The win didn't end up affecting Seattle's playoff seeding, as San Francisco won Sunday to clinch the NFC West title and lock the Seahawks into the No. 5 seed. Seattle will travel to face either Washington or Dallas in the first round next week.

The Rams (7-8-1) drove to the Seattle 29-yard line in the final minute, but Richard Sherman - who had his suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs overturned on appeal Thursday - intercepted a Sam Bradford pass to the end zone to seal it.

Bradford was 25-of-42 for 252 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He finished the season with 3,702 passing yards, surpassing his previous career high of 3,512 set in 2010.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries. His 10 100-yard games tied Vikings RB Adrian Peterson for the most in the NFL this season. ... Rams RB Steven Jackson rushed for 52 yards on 11 carries to become the sixth NFL player with eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. ... Seahawks WR Golden Tate caught three passes for a career-high 105 yards.

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Vikings 37, Packers 34

Adrian Peterson became the seventh running back to reach the 2,000-yard plateau and fellow Pro Bowler Blair Walsh kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired to send host Minnesota into the postseason.

Peterson recorded both a rushing and receiving touchdown to go along with his 199 yards, but his season total of 2,097 fell just short of breaking Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson's 1984 single-season mark (2,105). Christian Ponder tossed three touchdown passes for the Vikings (10-6), who won their fourth straight to set up a rematch against third-seeded Green Bay (11-5) at Lambeau Field.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 365 yards and tossed at least four touchdowns for the fourth time this season. Greg Jennings reeled in a pair while fellow wideouts Jordy Nelson and James Jones also found the end zone as the Packers suffered just their second loss in 11 outings.

After Rodgers connected with Nelson on a 2-yard strike to tie the game at 34-34, Peterson broke to the left and scampered 26 yards to set up Walsh's game-winning kick. The rookie squeezed the ball just inside the left upright to send Minnesota into the playoffs.

Exactly one year removed from ACL surgery, Peterson entered the contest needing 208 yards to surpass Dickerson's mark. He got out of the blocks in a hurry, taking a delayed handoff for a 7-yard score in the first quarter before reeling in a short 2-yard reception to give Minnesota a 27-17 lead in the third.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Peterson eclipsed the 2,000-yard plateau with a 20-yard gain in the third quarter. He joined O.J. Simpson, Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis and Chris Johnson as members of the 2,000-yard club. ... Walsh extended his record of 50-plus-yard field goals by drilling a 53-yarder in the first quarter. Walsh is 10-for-10 from at least 50 yards away this season. ... The receiving score was Peterson's fourth of his career - and first this season.

Terrelle Pryor made his first career start at quarterback for the Raiders and went 13-of-28 for 150 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and also ran for 49 yards and a score. Darren McFadden rushed for 57 yards on 19 carries for Oakland (4-12), which lost eight of its final nine games.

Spurlock got things started on the right foot for San Diego when he ran the opening kickoff of the game back. It was the third career kickoff return TD for Spurlock, who had a punt return for a touchdown last week.

The Chargers extended it out to 24-7 on Rivers' 34-yard touchdown pass to Alexander with 5:06 left in the third quarter but had to sweat out the win. Pryor capped a 76-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run and hit Denarius Moore with a 5-yard scoring pass to cut it to 24-21 with 2:00 left before San Diego ran out the clock.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Chargers LB Takeo Spikes and Raiders RB Mike Goodson were each issued personal foul penalties and ejected following an altercation. Spikes had to be restrained by teammates and other officials from going after the referee that announced the ejection. ... Pryor was starting in place of QB Carson Palmer (broken ribs), who was hurt last week. Pryor beat out Matt Leinart for the start during practice. ... Gates has 11 career touchdowns against Oakland, tied with former Chargers TE Kellen Winslow for the most against the Raiders since the AFL-NFL merger.

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Patriots 28, Dolphins 0

Tom Brady threw a pair of touchdown passes and host New England earned a first-round bye in the playoffs with a shutout of Miami.

Brady fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker to open the scoring in the first quarter and became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least one scoring pass in every game for three straight seasons. New England's top-ranked offense later got a pair of short touchdown runs from Stevan Ridley to take a 21-0 lead into halftime.

Brady completed 22 of 36 passes for 284 yards for the Patriots (12-4), which had its 20-game home winning streak in December snapped by San Francisco two weeks ago. Brady capped the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski, who returned to the lineup after suffering a broken arm six weeks ago.

Miami (7-9) had its two-game winning streak ended and finished below .500 for the fourth straight season. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 20-for-35 for 235 yards and threw his first interception in the past five games. He was also sacked seven times.

Reggie Bush finished with eight yards on seven carries as New England limited Miami to 29 yards rushing on the way to its first shutout since beating Tennessee 59-0 on Oct. 18, 2009.

Game notebook: New England jumped ahead of Houston, which lost to Indianapolis earlier in the day, for the second seed in the AFC playoffs. Denver finished as the top seed. ... Brady has thrown a touchdown pass in 48 straight games. ... Gronkowski finished with two receptions for 42 yards. ... Miami WR Davone Bess missed his third straight game with a back injury.

Kaepernick threw for 276 yards, with Crabtree accounting for 172 of them on eight receptions. Frank Gore set a franchise record with his 51st rushing touchdown for the 49ers (11-4-1), who could seize the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs should Green Bay fall to Minnesota on Sunday.

Acquired off waivers earlier this month, Brian Hoyer made his first career start and found a familiar target in Michael Floyd. The rookie wideout had a season-best eight catches for 166 yards with a touchdown for the Cardinals (5-11), who have dropped 11 of their last 12 overall - and seven straight on the road.

With Arizona nursing a 6-0 lead midway into the second quarter, Kaepernick moved around in the pocket and fired a strike over the shoulder to Crabtree, who coasted into the end zone.

The pair hooked up again in the third quarter as Crabtree beat cornerback Patrick Peterson on a 7-yard scoring strike to give San Francisco a 17-6 advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Crabtree ventured over the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time in his career. With 1,105 yards, Crabtree became the first 49ers WR to accomplish the feat since Terrell Owens in 2003. ... San Francisco TE Vernon Davis was active after clearing the league's concussion protocol, but was limited to one catch for five yards. ... Gore shared the previous rushing record with Roger Craig and Joe Perry.

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Broncos 38, Chiefs 3

Peyton Manning threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns as host Denver sewed up the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with its 11th consecutive victory.

Manning threw a pair of scoring passes to Eric Decker in the final 5:32 of the first half to stake the Broncos (13-3) to a 21-3 lead en route to claiming the top seed, which was made possible when Houston lost at Indianapolis earlier in the day.

Demaryius Thomas had seven receptions for 122 yards and a score to cap Manning's ninth three-TD game and give Denver its longest winning streak since the 1998 club won 13 straight on its way to a second straight Super Bowl championship.

The Chiefs (2-14) grabbed the No. 1 overall pick in next year's NFL draft with another woeful offensive performance. Brady Quinn threw for 49 yards on 7-of-16 passing and the league's lowest-scoring team mustered only eight first downs and 119 total yards to end the season on a four-game losing streak.

Manning connected on 23 of 29 passes and compiled a 144.8 passer rating in throwing for over 300 yards for the ninth time. He wound up with 37 TDs, 11 interceptions and 4,664 yards to surpass Jay Cutler's (4,526) single-season franchise record.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Thomas had his seventh 100-yard game - one shy of the team record - and Decker had seven catches for 76 yards and the two scores. They became the first Denver teammates to eclipse 1,000 yards since Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie in 2004. ... Kansas City was limited to 13 points or fewer for the 10th time and scored only 23 points combined during its four-game skid. ... LB Von Miller had one of Denver's four sacks to give him 18.5 on the season.

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Buccaneers 22, Falcons 17

Rookie Doug Martin rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown as Tampa Bay snapped a five-game losing streak and handed NFC South champion Atlanta its only home loss of the season.

Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, becoming the franchise leader for touchdowns in a season (27) and career (78).

Despite having clinched the NFC's top seed in the playoffs, the Falcons (13-3) played their starters throughout. Matt Ryan passed for 238 yards and his franchise-record 32nd touchdown pass of the season but Atlanta managed only 278 total yards, its second-lowest total of the season.

Mike Williams caught six passes for 65 yards and a score for the Bucs (7-9), who set single-season team records for points (389) and total yards (5,820). Freeman became the first quarterback in team history to pass for 4,000 yards.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez had five catches for 41 yards, putting him over 90 receptions for the fifth time in his career. ... The loss snapped an 11-game home win streak for Ryan, who dropped to 33-5 at the Georgia Dome. ... Martin recorded his fifth 100-yard game of the season.

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Giants 42, Eagles 7

Eli Manning threw four of his career-high five touchdowns in the first half, but host New York was eliminated from postseason consideration after Chicago defeated Detroit.

The Giants (9-7) held up their end of the bargain in Week 17, but needed losses by Chicago, Minnesota and Dallas in order to secure the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs. After being outscored 67-14 in its last two contests, New York didn't waste any time snapping a five-game home losing skid to the Eagles (4-12) by sending them to their 11th loss in 12 games.

Rueben Randle reeled in a 3-yard touchdown pass over the middle to open the scoring and doubled the advantage by outleaping cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha along the sideline for a 37-yard score. Manning then connected with rookie David Wilson on a wheel route out of the backfield for his first three-touchdown quarter in six years.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two of his three touchdown passes in the second half as host Pittsburgh ended its season by snapping a three-game losing streak.

Roethlisberger was 15-of-23 for 134 yards for Pittsburgh (8-8), which had only 212 total yards but turned two Cleveland fumbles into TDs.

Thad Lewis completed 22 of 32 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his NFL debut for the Browns (5-11), who lost their final three games overall and finished 1-7 on the road.

After a scoreless opening quarter, the teams traded field goals before Roethlisberger connected with Leonard Pope for a 1-yard touchdown with 47 seconds remaining in the second. Cleveland pulled even when Lewis hit Greg Little with a 7-yard scoring strike less than four minutes into the third, but Roethlisberger threw a 9-yard TD pass to Antonio Brown with 4:39 left in the period to give Pittsburgh a 17-10 lead.

Roethlisberger put the game away when he hit Plaxico Burress over the middle for a 12-yard touchdown on third-and-10 with 3:20 remaining in the contest.

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Bears 26, Lions 24

Jay Cutler passed for 257 yards and a touchdown and the defense forced four turnovers as visiting Chicago kept its playoff hopes alive by edging Detroit.

Calvin Johnson made five catches for 72 yards to finish 36 yards shy of 2,000 on the season. Matthew Stafford passed for 272 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted once and lost two fumbles for the Lions (4-12).

Chicago jumped out to a 20-3 lead in the second quarter but allowed Detroit to march 80 yards in 1:37 and cut it to 20-10 on Stafford's 25-yard touchdown pass to Kris Durham with 17 seconds left in the half.

The Lions pulled to within 26-24 on Stafford's 9-yard touchdown to Brian Robiske with 6:59 left but the Bears' defense held on the next drive and the offense put together one final series to eat the rest of the clock. Cutler scrambled for a key first down at midfield to help seal the win.

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Panthers 44, Saints 38

DeAngelo Williams rushed for a season-high 210 yards and two touchdowns and Mike Tolbert scored on three 1-yard runs as visiting Carolina ended the season with its first four-game win streak since 2008.

Cam Newton passed for 248 yards for the Panthers, who racked up season highs for points and total yards (530). The Saints surpassed a dubious NFL record by allowing 7,042 total yards this season.

Drew Brees passed for 396 yards and four touchdowns - becoming the first player in NFL history with three 5,000-yard seasons and the first with more than 15,000 passing yards in a three-year span - and Lance Moore (four catches, 121 yards) and Jimmy Graham (nine catches, 115 yards) put up big numbers.

As has been the case all season, though, the Saints' defense didn't do enough. After Brees' second touchdown pass - a 19-yard strike to Jimmy Graham - gave New Orleans a 24-13 lead with 10:49 left in the third quarter, the Panthers reeled off 28 consecutive points to take control.

Williams scored on runs of 54 and 12 yards and also set up another score with a season-long 65-yard scamper in his only 100-yard game of the season.

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Colts 28, Texans 16

Rookie Andrew Luck threw a pair of touchdown passes and host Indianapolis rode a wave of emotion in coach Chuck Pagano's return to the sideline to derail Houston's bid for a No. 1 overall seed and possibly a first-round bye.

Deji Karim returned a kickoff 101 yards as the Colts (11-5), despite having nothing to play for, turned in an inspired effort in Pagano's first game back since undergoing three months of treatment for leukemia.

Luck's 70-yard scoring pass to fellow rookie T.Y. Hilton with 11:22 to play opened a 12-point lead and supplied the dagger for the Texans (12-4), who lost three of their final four and fell to 0-11 all-time in Indianapolis.

Matt Schaub threw for 276 yards and two interceptions for Houston, which could drop to the No. 3 seed if Denver and New England win later Sunday. The Colts were already locked into the No. 5 seed and are staring at a potential playoff matchup next week at Baltimore - the team from which they hired away Pagano in the offseason to be their head coach.

Pagano received a standing ovation and video tribute from the fans at Lucas Oil Field prior to kickoff and his players responded by going 75 yards on the opening drive, capped by Luck's 1-yard pass to Coby Fleener. The Colts briefly relinquished the lead in the third quarter as Houston scored 10 straight points, but Karim's burst up the middle untouched on the ensuing kickoff return to put Indianapolis ahead to stay.

Darius Reynaud returned two punts for touchdowns and Zach Brown brought back a pair of interceptions for scores as host Tennessee routed AFC South rival Jacksonville in the season finale.

The Titans (6-10) handed the Jaguars (2-14) their fifth consecutive loss with a stunning sequence, scoring 28 unanswered points in a span of 4:45 bridging halftime without running a single offensive play.

Chris Johnson rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown to go over 1,200 yards for the fourth time in his career as Tennessee avenged a 24-19 loss in Jacksonville on Nov. 25 despite getting outgained 375-221.

Chad Henne tossed two TD passes to give the Jaguars a 14-7 lead and was driving his team for another score when Brown brought back an interception 79 yards to tie it at 14-14 with 1:48 left in the first half. Reynaud's first punt return, a 69-yarder with 33 seconds left in the half, put the Titans ahead to stay.

Reynaud added an 81-punt return 2:06 into the third quarter and Brown return another pick 30 yards for a score only 51 seconds later to extend the lead to 35-14.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Henne finished 25-of-41 for 298 yards with two TDs and three interceptions for Jacksonville, which failed to secure the No. 1 pick in April's draft after Kansas City fell 38-3 to Denver later Sunday. ... Titans QB Jake Locker threw for only 152 yards on 9-of-15. ... The Jaguars trailed at halftime despite a wide edge in yardage (280-102) and first downs (15-5).

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Bills 28, Jets 9

Brad Smith scored a back-breaking 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter as host Buffalo snapped a three-game losing streak in their season finale.

C.J. Spiller totaled 131 all-purpose yards, including a 66-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Fitzpatrick in the second quarter to pace the Bills (6-10). Fitzpatrick finished 12-for-26 for 225 yards, while Stevie Johnson caught six passes for 111 yards.

A week after being benched, Mark Sanchez returned to the lineup and his mistake-filled ways for New York (6-10). Sanchez threw an interception which Bryan Scott returned 20 yards for a touchdown to give Buffalo a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, and he also lost his 16th fumble of the season. Sanchez finished 17-for-35 for 205 yards.

The Jets, which lost for the third straight time, dominated control of the ball in the first half but continuously stalled in the red zone and trailed 14-9 at the break. Nick Folk accounted for all the New York scoring with three field goals.

After Smith's short TD scamper gave the Bills a 21-9 lead, Tashard Choice completed the scoring with a 13-yard scoring run with 1:10 remaining.

The Ravens had an outside shot at jumping up into the No. 3 spot in the playoffs but instead decided to rest most of their regulars. Joe Flacco attempted only eight passes before yielding to Tyrod Taylor, who passed for 149 yards and rushed for 65 and a score.

The Bengals elected to sit running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis (hamstring) and only threw two passes A.J. Green's way before giving way to the backups. Cincinnati will be the No. 6 seed in the AFC and will play either Denver, New England or Houston in the divisional round next week.

Marvin Jones caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Dalton with 45 seconds left in the second quarter to knot it at 7-7 at the half. Josh Brown put the Bengals on top with a pair of field goals in the third quarter before Taylor's 1-yard scoring run gave the Ravens the lead 14-13 with 12:58 left.

Brown's 38-yard field goal 5:38 later gave Cincinnati the advantage back and Dunlap's 14-yard interception return on the ensuing drive sealed the win.

From September to February, millions across the country will turn on the television to take part in the tradition known as Sunday football. But those who are lucky will take the tradition a bit further and participate in the unique experience of tailgating. Every team does it differently, and Cheapflights.com...